Category: Uncategorized

This blog first appeared on Share My Lesson. Most educators aim for a level of comprehension that moves beyond memorization. We want students to be strong thinkers and problem-solvers, and to be empowered to use their learning beyond the school walls. But applying what we’ve learned to new contexts—also known as “learning transfer”—can be incredibly… Continue reading An Amazingly Simple Way to Empower Students to Change the World

Share this:

Like this:

Below are three excerpts I use in my workshops with parents and teachers. They just scratch the surface of research telling us that we underestimate the potential of students and that our beliefs have a tremendous impact on achievement. What do you think? Teachers' Expectations Can Influence How Students Perform (adapted from NPR article by… Continue reading Why do we still say things like, “my smart students”?

Like this:

How do we turn on the brain and get it ready for the day's lesson? There are a number of strategies to help students connect what they already think or know about a topic -- and help us to see what they already know or might misunderstand before we get started. Anticipatory guide - Make… Continue reading 5 ways to preview content and access prior knowledge

Planning is done. You have around 3 – 5 powerful statements of conceptual relationships, a conceptual lens, questions that lead to discovery of the relationships and a list of corresponding facts and skills for powerful synergistic thinking — what do you do next?

It is essential to teach students about learning conceptually — sadly, most of them are not used to this type of learning. Here is a quick outline of one way to do it:

Experts: Ask students to think about what makes someone an expert and how they are able to remember so much. Tell them we are on the path to becoming experts and that you will let them in on a little secret about experts.

Structure of Knowledge: Teach them that experts organize information in their heads via a conceptual framework. Teach them briefly about the components in the Structure of Knowledge using an example they already know…

I always understood that my relationships with students would reduce the number of discipline problems, increase motivation and ultimately learning. But — WOW — I wish I had known more about the importance of student-to-student relationships when I first started teaching.

I never spent much time on the anti-bullying craze not because I didn’t think it was important but there just seemed like so much else to focus on. Now I understand the importance but still think anti-bullying (by educating on signs of bullying, encouraging reporting to adults and focusing programming outside of the curriculum and regular instruction time) might be a slightly less effective way to go about fostering positive peer interactions.

First, the research:

The Harvard Men study followed 268 men from their entrance to college in the 1930s to present day. The study’s director, George Vaillant states that there are “70 years of evidence that our relationships…

Share this:

Like this:

Well, we haven't written in quite some time -- we've been busy! We are thrilled to announce the forthcoming publication of our first two books: Tools for Teaching Conceptual Understanding. The secondary edition will be out in January and the elementary edition out in August by Corwin Press. These books extend the great work of Dr.… Continue reading What’s next for Ed2S?

After a lackluster response to my most recent unit on the Industrial Revolution -- who knew I could be so excited to investigate the relationship between industrialization, progress, capitalism, and justice, while my students could be so apathetic? -- I spent some time reflecting. The kids seemed to love learning about the facts but ran out of… Continue reading Stop teaching, start coaching

Share this:

Like this:

You may have noticed that we've taken a bit of a hiatus from the blog as of late. We've actually been working on a book (!) for the past few months, and Julie welcomed a new baby boy last week, so things have been busy. What we're most excited about, though, is gearing up for our… Continue reading Coming up: 2016-17 Fellowship!

Share this:

Like this:

Like our blog posts? Want to improve your understanding and practice with immediate results? Contact us to discuss custom workshops, in person or online! Ed2Save the World offers a variety of custom workshops. We can even design tailor-made workshops based on your goals for you to deliver to your staff. Contact us for more information:… Continue reading Take your practice to the next level!